Uzbekistan has gotten a major chemical industry project off the ground.
In 2018, the plans are to launch modern production of polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
and ramp up production of caustic soda and methanol at Navoiazot plant.

In November 2015, the President of
Uzbekistan approved the feasibility study of the project to make it a starting
point for the establishment of a new complex.

O‘zkimyosanoat signed a contract for
its construction with China CAMC Engineering Co, which has already started
development of the basic design. The total value of the turnkey contract
amounted to $439.8 million. The new industrial facility is estimated to
annually produce 100,000 tons of PVC, 75,000 tons of caustic soda and 300,000
tons of methanol.

It is noteworthy that O‘zkimyosanoat
experts have been concurrently working on effective ways of recycling methanol
into other useful products to be produced at the new complex. The technology of
its processing into gasoline ranks among the most promising ones.

In this regard, the company signed a
memorandum with a consortium of Japanese companies led by Mitsubishi, and with
the Danish HaldorTopsoe. The parties are currently exploring the feasibility of
a joint project on the basis of Navoiazot. Its total cost is estimated at $100
million, $50 million of which will be invested by foreign investors. The
commissioning of the facility is scheduled for 2019.

Accordingly, the Indian company "Bravo Pharmaceuticals Pvt.
Ltd." has created a foreign enterprise in FIEZ "Navoi" to
implement investment project of "Production of medicines." The total
amount of investment project is $2.6 million USD.

As part of the project, it provides the localization of production, with
a gradual increase in its share in the development of production, and created
new jobs.

Since the beginning of the year,
seven earthquakes have been felt in Tashkent and several regions. Scientists at
the Institute of Seismology said that this is normal since we live in a
seismically active zone. The answer to the question as to when to expect the
next is that we must always be ready for it. Precautions are quite affordable:
to build facilities considering the possible destructive force of earthquakes.
Seismologists are developing special maps, which display all the information
about the seismic activity in the region.

“It is known that increasing the earthquake resistance of an object by
one point increases construction costs by 10-15%, but the neglect of these data
may lead to irreparable consequences,” says head of the laboratory at the
Institute of Seismology Turdali Artikov. “However, there are simple ways to
significantly reduce costs. The first is the choice of construction site with
regard to the safety and cost-effectiveness – in this our maps are helpful.
Second, when complying with the rules of construction, taking into account the
seismic activity, the modern technology allows to erect buildings that can
withstand almost any earthquake.”

In recent years, seismologists of Uzbekistan created a new map of the
general seismic zoning of the territory of the country. It takes into account
the newly discovered regularities of seismic process, the response of the
geological environment in the seismic tremors and modern information
technology. As a result, it more than adequately reflects the seismicity of the
country and in line with international requirements.

For convenience, scientists create maps for specific regions. The first
was designed for the Tashkent region. It was tested and approved by the
Scientific and Technical Council of the State Committee for Architecture and
Construction, and the Design Institute UzLITI. Maps were in demand for housing
and industrial facilities, large hydro and other man-made structures.

“Our latest innovation in this direction was the development of
technology for multi-scale seismic zoning,” said Turdali Artikov. “It envisages
engineering-geological conditions of a particular area of research, for
construction of a specific facility from the point of view of engineering and
seismic indicators as ground acceleration, attenuation of seismic waves, and
the spectrum of the response to the seismic action. The technology has been
praised in the international seismological forums.”

But the most important thing is that it is already applied in practice.
With its help, designed and built the fourth gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to
China, passing through the territory of Uzbekistan, railway line Angren-Pap,
and others.

However, the earthquakes in recent years in a number of countries have
shown need for improved risk assessment and seismic protection. This marked the
beginning of the creation of new maps which display the evaluation of seismic
risks, that is, the possible consequences of earthquakes.

“Scientists of the Institute of Seismology have worked out scientific
bases and methodological approaches to zoning seismic risks, developed the
scale gradations of risk, and together with the Ministry of Emergency
Situations of Uzbekistan they create a database of settlements and software
zoning seismic risk,” Artikov pointed out. “In drawing up these maps it will be
the first time when we forecast the degree of destruction of buildings and
structures, as well as the possible humanitarian, economic and environmental
impacts.”

Our boxers won two gold and one bronze medals at the World Boxing Cup
with participation of over 120 boxers from 20 countries held in
Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

In the weight category up to 49 kg,
the best was Mironshoh Ibrohimov. He won Edmond Hudoyan and Valentin
Chebochakov from Russia, Daniel Platonov from Moldavia.

In the weight category up to 91 kg,
Sardor Begaliev defeated Roman Fress from Germany, Paul Omba Biongolo from
France, Tadas Tamasauskasa from Lithuania and Sergey Korneev from Belarus in
the final and won the gold medal.

Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov took the
third place in the weight category up to 56 kg.